Date Me, Bryson Keller

This book has plagiarized the manga “Seven Days” By Rihito Takarai. Is exactly the same story, just adapted to a western scenario. Is shameful to have to copy someone's story and taking full credits for it. Is a total injustice for the original author — a Japanese woman, not only appropriate her work but also claiming that you're making it “more realistic”, by the fact that the only change is the Western scenario. That's even racist.

Este libro ha plagiado en su totalidad al manga “Seven Days”, escrito por Rihito Takarai. La historia es exactamente igual, con la única diferencia de que ocurre en un ambiente americanizado. Es realmente vergonzoso el tener que copiar de cero la historia de alguien más y tomar todo el crédito como si de un original se tratara. Y es una completa injusticia para la autora original, que es una mujer japonesa, el además haber tenido el descaro de defenderse diciendo que has hecho la historia “más realista” Solamente porque ocurre en un ambiente americano.

Well, I won't be reading this. Apparently it's plagiarism. ... And not even very good plagiarism at that. There's a bunch of reviews dealing with the plagiarism, but I also found this review that talks about the actual quality of the book being not so good. And strong with the bi erasure. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3298749648?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1

Romance is skin-deep, shallow, and you can tell the love interest was perfectly crafted for the main character. Minimally flawed and is extremely attentive and very selfless. Main character is a piece of cardboard.

Just adorable and cute

so cute .... Everyone needs a Bryson Keller

Update: I did end up reading the manga and I just don't see it. The premise is very alike but that's where the similarities end. The characters, the plot progression, basically everything is very different from the manga. The people review-bombing this book because of that are simply unfair.

I'm uncomfortable placing judgment on this book based on the plagiarism allegations because:

1. I don't rate books I didn't read at least a decent portion of so I can tell if it's for me or not and rarely find it's justified to rate books you haven't read. In this case, I read it from start to finish, and it wasn't bad for a YA. Most users claiming plagiarism quote second-hand sources. They haven't even read the book to make a true comparison with the manga.
2. I have yet to see receipts from these reviews denouncing plagiarism. I'll give you that; the synopsis sounds identical to the manga, and that's a little on the nose, however:
a. Author does admit to being inspired by the manga in the book's acknowledgments. One reviewer raged on that the author only admitted to it after being called out, yet the manga is literally mentioned in the author's notes.
b. Manga and novels are completely different environments.
c. Pleanty of fan-fiction work has been traditionally published as ‘original.'
d. I can't get my hands on the manga, so I can't compare the two other than the premise. One reviewer mentioned reading both and that they are very different except for the premise of fake dating for 7 days based on a dare.
e. One could argue that the fake dating trope is so widely spread that it's hard when something is a reinterpretation or a rip-off.
f. In the end, I just don't have enough data on the matter to be able to take a clear stance on this.

Going back to the actual book. I thought it was just fine. The characters were sweet, and I enjoyed the story overall. I would have preferred it if it were less instalovey and more suspenseful. I wasn't a fan of the angst at the end either.

MY HEART IS SO MELTED RIGHT NOW OMG
Having spend the last days of my life with Kai and Bryson's company, I know that I will for sure be missing the story that accompanied me these last few days.

“A lot of people believe that this stuff doesn't happen... but it does. There are still people who have to fight just to exist, just to love. Just as there are still people who will go out of their way to make that very simple human right something unattainable.”

The times in which we live right now are not the best. So it's very fortunate to have a story bring so much joy to the daily life. Kai and Bryson's story is a narrative that is still relevant, and will always be, so long there's anyone in any part of the world that doesn't feel welcome in society.

This book is the classic fake-dating story, but it works so well. It deals greatly with themes that are relevant, like racism and homophobia. It's a coming-of-age tale that's worth reading.

This one turned out to be surprising re-read material for me. Highly recommend this YA gay romance for those wanting to try a good one.

everybody say thank you kevin van whye for creating the absolute perfect boyfriend in bryson keller.

honestly this book was 90% fluff and 10% angst (homophobia and outing people without their consent :/) but it just made me feel SO much and it was so cute

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I went into this #Ownvoices book with high hopes and was so, so worried it wouldn't live up to my internal hype. Friends, it totally held up. WOW, I ADORED this book.

Okay, first up, I love the premise. It is corny and sweet the fact that Bryson has to date a new person every week up to Spring Break. I went in hoping for the corniness though, so I ate it up. The fact that the drama teacher is so stereotypical added to the whole corny situation.

The characters... Bryson Keller & Kai Sheridan. Bryson may in fact be the best boyfriend in the world. Does anyone like him actually exist in this world? He is a jock, so I was expecting cocky and narrow-minded– way to show me my biases. Bryson is sweet, adorable, understanding, open-minded, romantic, and not afraid of his emotions. How could Kai not fall in love with him? Kai is also adorably cute and so easy to love. He is shy, but confident, he sticks up for those he loves, and can be silly. Bryson and Kai are the absolute best to read about.

The relationships in this book are great. There is open communication, allowing people space, the normalization of fighting/arguing in a relationship, and nothing is over the top dramatic. We see both positive and negative aspects in a parent-child relationship. The friendships are a little... they are very much in the background, but we see some good bonds there too. It is also nice to see siblings getting along!

This book is super, super cute and fun to read.
That being said, there is more to it. See, Kai is in the closet and his family attends a church that believes being gay is a sin. Kai isn't ready to come out – asking Bryson out is a spur of the moment thing and a chance for him to live as himself for once. Kai is only mix-raced with his dad being from South Africa, so there are mentions of race policing and racism along with homophobia.
While there were many moments that had me squealing from cuteness and smiling in joy, I was also misty-eyed over some of the trials these boys face.

Honestly, this might be one of my favorite books so far this year. I will definitely re-read this one.
I recommend this book to people you like cute romances with a slice of real-life.

TW: homophobia, racism, forced outing, bullying

This book didn't grab me at first, because I couldn't make sense of the premise. Why is it considered a dare (i.e. a difficult challenge) for Bryson to date a different person each week? How did it go with all of the girls he dated, and how did both parties feel when it was over on Friday? Surely some of the girls had their feelings hurt when he didn't choose to continue to see them when their week was over, but we don't get much of a sense of how it was going before Kai impetuously asks him out.

Once that happens, though, the book becomes simply wonderful. We're in familiar “fake dating” trope territory, and it's always fun to watch pretend become real. Bryson may be a little too good to be true - if only every uber-popular guy in high school were as nice, brave, supportive, understanding, protective, etc - but he does have his own baggage with parents who have recently gone through an ugly divorce. He's pretty much a Prince Charming to Kai's Cinderella, but that's okay because Kai deserves a prince. He's a shy aspiring writer and firmly in the closet with no plans to come out to his family or two BFFs. But being with Bryson, even just as friends at first, helps him emerge from his shell and become more comfortable with himself and his identity. The two have adorable chemistry together as their friendship becomes flirtatious. There is no Big Misunderstanding or lack of communication; Kai is sure at first that he has fallen for a straight guy but Bryson admits he is attracted to him before the halfway point in the book. The conflict centers around if and how the boys are going to come out and how others will react. The sex in the book is limited to hand-holding, kisses and some vaguely described making out. Seemed a little chaste to me for today's teens but it just makes it feel even more like a fairy tale.

The author's afterword explains that he wanted to use Kai's story to remind people that although we have come a long way, it is still a big deal to come out as queer and people are still being hurt horribly by lack of acceptance. There are some bumps along the road for Kai but in the end he knows he has the support of his friends and family, and he and Bryson are definitely HFN with a few loose ends left hanging like what will they do when Bryson goes to Stanford and Kai goes to Tisch in NYC in a few months? And did Kai's script win the contest? And how did Bryson survive taking the bus after he lost the dare?. I don't know if Kevin van Whye plans on a sequel but I would not mind in the least hanging out with these adorable boys and their friends again.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.